Citizen Twain

A Quintessential American Finds Ugliness Abroad

Mark Twain wrote one of the 19th century’s most popular travel books. But the ugly ways in which he described the world say more about him — and perhaps America — than the places he visited.

Into the Wild

One of the most talked-about trends in travel today is how the pursuit of beauty, or, more baldly, the pursuit of social media cachet, might be destroying the world’s most amazing places.

Killing It

Twice the pinnacle of American tourism, the Catskills have ebbed and flowed in popularity over the past couple of centuries. But the cradle of modern comedy is standing up once again — for the same reasons as always.

Easter Island Enigma

For centuries, explorers and archaeologists have tried to solve the riddle: how did Easter Island’s tiny population build the massive, big-headed stone statues known as moai? And how did they move them?

The Future We Were Promised

News of an upcoming space hotel obviously got our attention, but it also got us thinking: will space tourism ever live up to expectations?

The Mad King

If Neuschwanstein Castle looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it at Disneyland. The inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s palace was the obsession of a 19th century king whose untimely death is still debated today.